My story - start to (almost) finish
I am a 22 year old caucasian female...I am a college senior graduating in May with her bachelor's in music therapy. I love to help the elderly and volunteer in nursing homes.
I also stole $34.99 from the local Marshalls store in southeastern NY. I was caught by a LP agent who was very nice to me. You can read about all of that, including my arrest, in my previous posts if interested.
It's been the longest four weeks of my life...I only told my best friend and my boyfriend- and it took me almost 2 weeks to tell him out of shame. Thank goodness he is understanding and doesn't think less of me for it.
Yesterday was my court date...For weeks I worried about getting a lawyer or not, and was basically told by people here on the boards that I would be totally "screwed" without a lawyer. So I went to visit the local public defender...except I did get to see him, as I had expected, before my court date. Instead I talked to the secretary, who pretty much laughed at me for being so concerned. There was a girl in before me for grand larceny, and her rap sheet was apparently verrrrry long. She assured me that the public defender assigned to my case was great, as was the DA prosecuting me on the behalf of Marshalls.
I left that day feeling slightly better, but not totally...Was I going to get to talk to my lawyer at all to tell him what I wanted? What did he look like? Would he like me? I never found out...
When I showed up at the courthouse, I saw people of all kinds. I saw hardened white and black and hispanic people, I saw pretty, soft looking women with long blonde hair and smiling faces, I saw young "kids" with their parents, trying to look tough. Mostly everyone had someone with them for support. I overheard a conversation between a few younger looking guys...One of them had driven off without paying for his gas with a group of friends- twice. The other stole a pair of shoes from J.C.Penney. All of these kids had been charged with other crimes before, including felonies. They acted almost as if it was cool to be there. Like they were badass for driving off without paying for their gas. Come on, you're a little punk, go home to your mother.
Anyways. They made everyone (there were AT LEAST 50 people there for court) go through the metal detector and go inside the court room after checking in. I waited for a LONG TIME (about an hour and a half) for the judge to call my name. People were there for traffic violations including DUI, cell phones, and speeding...One man was there for rape. Several people were brought in in handcuffs, one in an orange jumpsuit bearing the signature of the city jail. One person was there for grand larceny, two others trespassing. When they finally called my name, I still didn't know who my lawyer was. I was shaking as I approached the microphone at the front, and suddenly there was my lawyer, talking to me, telling me that (and I'm creating a separate paragraph to make this clear, because I know it's what you want to read)
I had received an offer of an "ACD" from the DA, depending on six months and my completion of the SLAP (a shoplifting course offered by NASP-National Association for Shoplifting Prevention) program. If I complete this program ($65) and have the certificate in my hand my March 28, I do not have to come back to court. My charges are dropped in 6 months, as long as I do not come to the attention of the court again in that time.
Now, it's time for some honesty.
In my first posts, I said I had never shoplifted before. I lied. It was an addiction for me, something I tried and tried to stop but thought I couldn't. I'm sure most of the people here on this board SAY it was their first time but really lied. This part of the post is for you. Please, please, PLEASE don't shoplift again....especially if you have been caught. Especially if you have not. The bottom line is, if this is your first time, you could get off easy. That does NOT mean that you couldn't still get in trouble. It is a struggle for me every day to go to a store and not steal. But every time I think about stealing I then think about the consequences. What would happen if I stole again? Well, I could get away with it. Or, I could get arrested again. I don't want to ever get arrested again, and as long as I steal, there is always the chance that I will. I don't want to end up like those people who just think of being arrested as another opportunity to add a notch to their rap sheet. I am better than that, and so are you. Please, do yourself a favor and don't shoplift ever again. I have been "clean" for 27 days, and they have been the most honest days ever since I began shoplifting. Just because you are an essentially "good person," like I explained I am, doesn't mean you can't or won't get caught.
I know this post was long and obnoxious, but it was necessary. Please post or private message me if you have ANY questions or concerns.
Thank you, and please, LP's and helpers on this board, keep fighting the good fight.